Chicago Cubs Finally Win At Something

After years of being out-hustled by secondary ticket brokers, which flip high-demand seats for huge profit, the North Siders are stealing a page from their South Side rival’s playbook and implementing “dynamic pricing” in their 5,000 bleacher seats this season.

Until recently, all 30 Major League Baseball teams set prices well before the start of the season, leaving their hands tied on game days, when StubHub Inc. sellers might be hawking the same tickets for twice as much. Now, if demand spikes, the Cubs can hike prices much like airlines do as departure time nears.

“Teams are looking at (dynamic pricing) to capture some of that secondary market that they’re not capturing,” says Colin Faulkner, the Cubs’ vice president of ticket sales and service, who implemented the new system when he worked for the NHL’s Dallas Stars before moving to Wrigley Field in 2010. Mr. Faulkner says the dynamic pricing will supplement a tiered system in the bleachers, where initial costs range from $17 to $78 apiece.